Asian Pear: a Potential Alternative Fruit Crop for Growers in the Mid-Atlantic Region Christopher S

HORTSCIENCE 51(11):1325–1328. 2016. doi: 10.21273/HORTSCI10526-16 Asian Pear: A Potential Alternative Fruit Crop for Growers in the Mid-Atlantic Region Christopher S. Walsh1, Julia M. Harshman, Anna E. Wallis, and Amy Barton Williams Department of Plant Science and Landscape Architecture, 2102 Plant Sciences Building, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742 Michael J. Newell Wye Research and Education Center, Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, 124 Wye Narrows Drive, Queenstown, MD 21658 George R. (G.R.) Welsh Western Maryland Research and Education Center, Maryland Agricultural Experiment Station, 18330 Keedysville Road, Keedysville, MD 21756 Additional index words. fire blight, ‘Magness’ pear, pear psylla, rootstocks, precocity, fruit quality Abstract. Production of european pears (Pyrus communis L.) in the eastern United States is limited by a number of physiological and pathological problems. In an attempt to expand sustainable pear production in that region, a series of long-term field trials of asian pear [Pyrus pyrifolia (Burm. F) Nak. (syn. Pyrus serotina L.)] were established at two sites in Maryland. To compare precocity, productivity, and survival, nine asian pear cultivars and three European cultivars were planted in a replicated trial in 2010 at the Wye Research and Education Center (Wye REC). The asian pears were precocious and productive and many trees flowered and fruited in the second leaf. After the fourth leaf, survival of ‘Isi’iwasi’, ‘Shinsui’, ‘Kosui’, and ‘Olympic’ was good, while many ‘Hosui’ and ‘Ya Li’ (asian pear) trees as well as ‘Bartlett’ and ‘Golden Russett’ (european pear) trees had died at that point, following bloom infections of fire blight (Erwinia amylovora). At Keedysville (WMREC), 18 asian pear cultivars in two established plantings were evaluated for their field tolerance to fire blight following a severe hailstorm. The cultivars Shin Li, Daisu Li, Shinsui, and Olympic fared as well as Magness, a fire blight–tolerant european pear cultivar that served as a benchmark in that evaluation. Conversely, ‘Hosui’, ‘Choju’, ‘Kosui’, ‘Seigyoku’, ‘Ya Li’, and ‘Ts’e Li’ were severely damaged. Three consumer tastings were conducted using fruit from the Wye REC trial. ‘Yoinashi’, ‘Atago’, ‘Shinko’, and ‘Olympic’ were well received by consumers. After tasting asian pears, most people, even those less familiar with the crop, reported they would consider purchasing the fruit and requested the names of local producers. Based on our long-term research results, there appears to be a good opportunity for locally produced asian pear fruit. With the correct cultivar selection for fire blight management, local growers should be able to produce this alternative crop sustainably and market their fruit profitably. Production of european pears (P. commu- ‘Bartlett’ (syn. ‘Williams Bon Chretien’) for ‘Magness’ (Miller and Walsh, 1984). Not nis) in the eastern United States is limited by has been the primary pear cultivar grown in long after we began that initial study, we a number of pathological and physiological North America for more than a century. realized that asian pear might be a viable problems, particularly fire blight, a disease O’Rourke (2012) reported that 47% of alternative crop for local fruit growers, as caused by E. amylovora (Burr.) Winslow U.S. commercial production was accounted most cultivars were precocious and pro- et al. This bacterium appears to be indigenous for by a single cultivar, Bartlett, with an duced a marketable crop in their third leaf. to North American Rosaceous plants and was additional three cultivars, Beurre Anjou This was comparable to ‘Gala’ and ‘Fuji’ first reported in the 19th century. Although it (39.3%), Beurre Bosc (11.3%), and Doyenne apple trees on size-controlling rootstocks attacks a variety of fruit crops, european du Comice (1%) accounting for the majority (data not shown). pears are particularly susceptible to tree of the remaining production. Although ‘Bar- Reimer ranked species material for fire damage and death from the disease (Van der tlett’ is well liked for its buttery fruit texture, blight almost 100 years ago (Reimer, 1915). Zwet and Kiel, 1979). flavor, canning value, and tree productivity, it He listed Pyrus ussuriensis as the most is susceptible to fire blight. Hedrick (1921) blight-resistant species, followed by Pyrus stated ‘‘the trees blight badly, and are not calleryana, Pyrus betualaefolia, P. pyrifolia, Received for publication 22 Dec. 2015. Accepted much above average in resistance to blight, the and P. communis, which was the least toler- for publication 21 July 2016. blackplagueofpear.’’ ant. Although some asian pear cultivars were This paper was part of the colloquium ‘‘Alternative To improve pear tree survival, breeding for tested in Maryland in the 1970s (Oitto et al., Specialty Crop: Opportunities and Challenges,’’ fire blight resistance has been a major goal of 1970; van der Zwet and Oitto, 1972), most of presented at the 2015 ASHS Conference, New many North American pear breeding programs. their work focused on older Chinese culti- Orleans, LA, on 4 Aug. 2015, and sponsored by Unfortunately, the sources of resistance used vars, with little testing of japanese and korean the Working Group of Asian Horticulture, Tropical Horticulture Working Group, and Pomology Working frequently resulted in blight-resistant trees such juicy pears (Nashi types). Since pear species Group. as ‘Magness’, which were difficult to crop. This and cultivars have been reported to vary greatly This work was supported by formula funding pro- lack of precocity and productivity of fire in susceptibility to fire blight, it was of interest to vided Maryland Agriculture Experiment Station, blight–tolerant european pears, coupled with know how these cultivars might perform in field competitive funding from MAES’ Competitive the limited cold-hardiness of size-controlling locations prone to severe fire blight outbreaks. Grants Program and the Harry R. Hughes Center for Quince rootstocks have been major reasons Vavilov (1951) noted that there were Agro-Ecology, Inc. why pear production has remained very low three distinct centers of origin for edible We thank the many agricultural technicians and in the eastern United States. Pyrus in Asia; a Near Eastern Center (P. students for their assistance in managing the trees used in this study and Kathleen W. Hunt for her help In an effort to improve pollination suc- communis), Central Asian Center (Pyrus organizing the taste testing at Clarksville and for cess, precocity, and productivity in ‘Mag- korshinsyki and Pyrus boissieriana), and the preparing and editing the final manuscript. ness’ pear plantings, we began testing asian Chinese Center (P. pyrifolia and P. ussur- 1Corresponding author. E-mail: [email protected]. pear trees for their effectiveness as pollinizers iensis). Since the continental climate of the HORTSCIENCE VOL. 51(11) NOVEMBER 2016 1325 Chinese Center more closely resembles that Trial 1: Field studies of precocity, A hailstorm in July 1994 triggered a se- of the Mid-Atlantic Region and Reimer productivity, and tree survival at WyeREC. vere fire-blight epidemic in both of these ranked that material more tolerant to fire To study tree precocity and productivity, nine plantings. Following the hail-induced fire blight, we also hypothesized that some asian pear cultivars (Atago, Hosui, Isi’iwase, blight epidemic, trees were evaluated on their pears from that region might be better Kosui, Olympic, Shinko, Shinsui, Ya Li, and growth and survival in early June 1996 using adapted to our local conditions than P. Yoinashi) and three european pear cultivars a simplified version of the USDA fire blight 5 communis. (Bartlett, Golden Russett, and Potomac) was to 1 rating system (Van der Zwet and Kiel, During the past 30 years, we have planted established at Wye REC. Design was a ran- 1979). and evaluated trees and fruit in five major domized complete block consisting of five field trials. Some of our research has been rows with individual tree replicates blocked 5 = Full canopy, healthy foliage published in nonrefereed journals (Hogmire down the row. Border rows of apple trees were 4 = Full canopy, some chlorotic foliage and Walsh, 1991; Walsh et al., 2011). set east and west of the planting. The orchard 3 = Significant canopy damage, more than Further disseminating the results of this was enclosed inside electrified fencing to half of the canopy remaining research would be valuable to producers in prevent deer damage. 2 = Significant canopy damage, less than the eastern United States, and perhaps other Asian pear trees were propagated onto full- half of the canopy remaining areas with similar growing conditions in- sized Pyrus betulaefolia rootstocks. Trees 1 = Dead tree terested in establishing sustainable orchards, were planted at a medium density, using a particularly for direct-market sales. Two of 4 · 6 m spacing and managed individually. Each tree was evaluated separately by our five long-term studies are described in Trees were hand planted in early Apr. 2010 three of the authors: Amy Barton Williams, this paper. into holes drilled with an auger, and then Christopher S. Walsh, and G.R. Welsh. Fol- trained and pruned to a central-leader system. lowing these individual evaluations, a mean MATERIALS AND METHODS No additional support was provided. score was computed for each tree. Mean Trees were fertilized and managed fol- values for each cultivar and planting were Orchard locations and research plantings. lowing local integrated pest management then analyzed statistically. Asian pear orchards were planted at the (IPM) recommendations (Pfeiffer et al., Fruit quality and consumer acceptance. University of Maryland’s WMREC in Kee- 2014). Fruitlets were removed during the In 2013 and 2014 fruit from the 2010 planting dysville and the WyeREC in Queenstown. second leaf to avoid stunting the trees, then at Wye REC were harvested, hand packed Both sites are located 100 km from Wash- hand thinned in early summer in the third and into tray-packed cartons, and held at 4 °C ington, DC.

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